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Abstract:

A device having a variable-capacity store (3) formed with the aid of
conveyors on two neighboring levels having one input channel (1), formed
by a lower conveyor (4) and an upper conveyor (5), and one output channel
(2), formed by an upper conveyor (6) and a lower conveyor (7), having a
back plate (12), which is coupled with a slide (16) separating the levels
of the store (3), equipped with a separating conveyor (17) so that they
jointly effect to and fro motion, parallel to the horizontal conveyors,
with the surface of the back plate (12), concave on the side of the store
(3), is formed a the chain conveyor (13), characterized by the fact that
the upper input conveyor (5) has at the end an arched part (8) pointing
upwards, and the lower output conveyor (7) has at the beginning an arched
part (9) pointing downwards, so that the two conveyors (5 and 7) approach
each other with the arched parts (8 and 9), and between the arched part
(8) of the upper input conveyor (5) and the arched part (9) of the lower
output conveyor (7) there is an in-between swing element (10), and a
slide (16) with a separating conveyor (17) is slipped between the arched
part (8) of the upper input conveyor (5) and the arched part (9) of the
lower output conveyor (7), after deflecting the in-between swing element
(10). Prior to slipping the slide (16) with the separating conveyor (17)
the in-between swing element (10) makes the front plate (11) for the rod
shaped elements displaced from the input channel (1) to the output
channel (2) the distance between the axis of a return roller (18) of the
separating conveyor (17) and the back plate (12) of the store (3) is
constant and equal to the radius (r) of the back plate (12), while at
minimum capacity of the store (3) the back plate (12) is located at the
distance (w) from the front plate (11) corresponding to the width of the
input channel (1) and the output channel (2).

Claims:

1. A store-transport device for elongated rod shaped elements, disposed
in a transfer line for elements from a delivery device to a receiving
device, having a plurality of substantially horizontal, vertical and
arched conveyors, and having a variable capacity store formed with the
aid of the said conveyors on two neighboring levels, having one inlet and
one outlet, formed by two parallel conveyors, closed with a joint back
plate which is coupled with a slide separating the store levels, equipped
with a separating conveyor, so that they together perform reciprocating
movements parallel to the horizontal conveyors, and its concave surface,
on the store side, is constituted by a chain conveyor equipped with
transverse humps, and a fullness sensor is placed near the outlet,
characterized in that an upper input conveyor (5) has at the end an
arched part (8) pointing upwards, and a lower output conveyor (7) has at
the beginning an arched part (9) pointing downwards, so that the two
conveyors (5 and 7) approach each other with the arched parts (8 and 9),
but between the arched part (8) of the upper input conveyor (5) and the
arched part (9) of the lower output conveyor (7) there is an in-between
swing element (10), and a moving slide (16) with a separating conveyor
(17) is slipped between the arched part (8) of the upper input conveyor
(5) and the arched part (9) of the lower output conveyor (7), after
deflecting the in-between swing element (10).

2. A device as in claim 1, characterized in that the in-between swing
element (10) consists of a lower in-between swing element (101) mounted
at the end of the arched part (8) of the upper input conveyor (5) and an
upper in-between swing element (102) mounted at the end of the arched
part (9) of the lower output conveyor (7).

3. A device as in claim 2, characterized in that the in-between swing
element (101) has the form of a lower in-between conveyor (101'), and the
upper in-between swing element (102) has the form of an upper in-between
conveyor (102').

4. A device as in claim 3, characterized in that the lower in-between
conveyor (101') is driven by the upper input conveyor (5).

5. A device as in claim 4, characterized in that the upper in-between
conveyor (102') is driven by the lower output conveyor (7).

6. A device as in claim 2, characterized in that the horizontal
separating conveyor (17) is slipped between the lower in-between swing
element (101) and the upper in-between swing element (102), after drawing
them apart.

7. A device as in claim 6, characterized in that the lower in-between
swing element (101) is deflected downwards when slipping the separating
conveyor (17) in.

8. A device as in claim 6, characterized in that the upper in-between
swing element (102) is deflected upwards when slipping the separating
conveyor (17) in.

9. A device as in claim 1, characterized in that prior to slipping in the
slide (16) with the separating conveyor (17), the in-between swing
element (10) or the in-between lower (101) and upper (102) swing element
constitute the front plate (11) for the rod shaped elements displaced
from the input channel (1) to the output channel (2).

10. A device as in claim 1, characterized in that the distance between
the axis of a return roller (18) of the separating conveyor (17) and a
back plate (12) of the store (3) is constant and equal to the radius (r)
of the back plate (12).

11. A device as in claim 1, characterized in that for a minimum capacity
of the store (3), the back plate (12) is located at the distance (w) from
the front plate (11), corresponding to the width of the input channel (1)
and the output channel (2).

12. A device as in claim 4, characterized in that the individual moving
sub-assemblies or groups of moving sub-assemblies are independently
driven by separate motors.

13. A device as in claim 3, characterized in that the horizontal
separating conveyor (17) is slipped between the lower in-between swing
element (101) and the upper in-between swing element (102), after drawing
them apart.

14. A device as in claim 2, characterized in that prior to slipping in
the slide (16) with the separating conveyor (17), the in-between swing
element (10) or the in-between lower (101) and upper (102) swing element
constitute the front plate (11) for the rod shaped elements displaced
from the input channel (1) to the output channel (2).

15. A device as in claim 10, characterized in that for a minimum capacity
of the store (3), the back plate (12) is located at the distance (w) from
the front plate (11), corresponding to the width of the input channel (1)
and the output channel (2).

16. A device as in claim 5, characterized in that the individual moving
sub-assemblies or groups of moving sub-assemblies are independently
driven by separate motors.

Description:

[0001] The object of the invention is a store-transport device for
elongated rod shaped elements, particularly products of the tobacco
industry, designated to be placed in a line manufacturing the said
products between a delivery device and a receiving device.

[0002] In the manufacture or processing in the tobacco industry of
elongated rod shaped elements, particularly filter bars, there is a need
for applying, on the route of mass flow, in-between storage compensating
temporary inequality between the number of bars arriving from the
delivery device and the number of bars taken in by the receiving device.
For technical reasons, the best storage units are those, which apply the
principle "first in-first out", permitting full control of product flow
in the production line, and especially the control of the time of the
filter bars remaining in storage. Large, and therefore costly buffer
stores of variable capacity, for example, a store presented in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,422,380, are not intended for use in the case of frequent changes
in the range of filter bars, since prior to a change, there is still a
large number of bars in storage, which will constitute production
rejects. The British patent specification No. GB 995 663 describes a
device for transporting cigarettes from the manufacturing machine to the
packing machine. The device has a store divided into an upper part, to
which cigarettes are supplied from the manufacturing machine, and a lower
part from which the cigarettes are removed to the packing machine. The
end of the store is a back plate, semicircular in shape, the radius of
the plate, concave from the side of the store, corresponds to the height
of each of the levels of the store, and the width of the store is
slightly larger than the length of cigarettes being transported. Both the
channel delivering the cigarettes, the inlet and the bottom of the upper
and lower parts, and the outlet of the store are equipped with conveyors,
which displace the stacked cigarettes. Similarly, a conveyor surrounds
the concave surface of the back plate of the store. Between the back
plate and the conveyor which forms the bottom of the upper part of the
store there is a throat of fixed width, permitting mass flow of
cigarettes into the lower part of the store. The back plate is
permanently attached to a trolley, in which the said throat is formed,
and to which, on the other side of the throat, a check roller of the
conveyor of the upper part of the store is attached, the conveyor being
able to change its length, depending on the demand for storage capacity.
With the demand for greater storage capacity, the trolley with the back
plate, throat and conveyor move towards the direction more distant from
the inlet, and upon reduction of the demand for storage capacity, the
trolley moves towards the outlet, with sensors controlling volume changes
being located at the inlet and outlet of the store. Storage capacity is
determined by stoppage or slowdown in the manufacturing and/or packing
machine. The structure closest to the present invention is a
storage-transport unit for elongated rod shaped elements, presented in
the specification of Polish invention No. P-385206, which is placed in
the line of displacing the elements from a delivery device and a
receiving device, and has a number of conveyors, in principle horizontal
and in principle vertical, and also has a variable-capacity store formed
on two adjacent levels by the said conveyors, with one entrance and one
exit, closed by a joint back plate, which is slidably mounted so that it
performs reciprocating motion parallel to the horizontal conveyors, and
the surface of which, concave on the side of the store, is constituted by
a chain conveyor. The unit is equipped with a rotary lever attached to
the slide, whose axis of rotation coincides with the concave curvature of
the back plate permanently attached to the slide, and a swing input valve
element and a swing limiter of the displacement of rod shaped elements
are mounted at the inlet to the store, while a swing output valve element
is mounted at the outlet of the store. The length of the rotary lever
corresponds to the radius of curvature of the concave surface of the back
plate, which is attached to the slide at a distance corresponding to the
length of the rotary lever. The rotary lever is equipped on both sides
with fullness sensors of rod shaped elements of mass flow in the area
adjacent to the said lever. Both the operating surface of the input valve
element and the operating area of the output surface of the output valve
element are a section of a circle with a radius corresponding to the
radius of curvature of the concave surface of the back plate. Between the
axis of rotation of the rotary lever and the concave surface of the back
plate, there is an empty space in the slide, which is a throat for
displacement of rod shaped elements between the levels of the store, and
on horizontal surfaces of the remaining part of the slide an internal
conveyor is positioned, whereas an inclined conveyor is located above the
inner conveyor before the outlet of the store. The upper plate of the
store is the upper conveyor, and the lower plate of the store is the
lower conveyor. The channel carrying rod shaped elements to the inlet of
the store consists of two parallel input conveyors and the channel
receiving rod shaped elements from the outlet of the store consists of
two parallel output conveyors. Between the upper conveyor and the upper
conveyor of the store, a swing top cover with location sensor is
positioned. The individual movable components, and/or groups of moving
components are driven independently by separate motors. After filling the
initial store chamber with rod shaped elements displaced from the
delivery channel through inlet to the store, which is signaled by the
swing limiter raised to the extreme upper position with the input valve
element removed, whereas the front face of the mass flow rests against
the rotary lever situated in the lower vertical position, at a signal
received from the swing limiter the said lever moves rotationally towards
the back plate at a speed adjusted to the speed of the flow of rod shaped
elements to the store entry, with simultaneous activation of the movement
of the conveyor chain of the back plate, equipped with transverse humps
and assisting in mass flow through the throat of the slide. After filling
a minimum store space, the rotating lever stops at a horizontal position
along the slide, followed by removal of the output valve element from the
outlet from the store, so that the front face of the mass flow enters the
receiving channel with the angular conveyor and the output conveyors of
the output channel activated. Automatic capacity increase of the
variable-capacity store occurs in case of higher productivity of the
delivery device than the productivity of the receiving device, which
makes the slide move with the back plate in the direction compliant with
the direction of displacement of rod shaped elements through the inlet of
the store from the inlet channel at such speed of flow, so as to keep the
nominal pressure of mass flow at the outlet of the store, with the
rotating lever remaining in a horizontal position along the slide, and
the slide's inner conveyor with the inclined conveyor, as well as the
upper and lower conveyors of the store's plates, the chain conveyor of
the back plate move with an appropriate speed, assuring proper
arrangement of rod shaped elements in the store. This situation can last
until obtaining maximum store capacity corresponding to the terminal
position of the slide. Automatic emptying of the store begins at the
moment, when a cleaning device following the stacked mass flow appears at
the inlet of the store, the appearance causing closure of the inlet to
the store by the input valve element through reducing the store capacity
with the output valve element removed, owing to the movement of the
slide, together with the back plate in the direction compliant with flow
of the rod shaped elements through the outlet to the receiving channel
with such speed as to keep the nominal pressure of mass flow in the
output of the store, with the rotary lever positioned in a horizontal
position along the slide, and the slide's inner conveyor with the
inclined conveyor, as well as the upper and lower conveyors of the
store's plates, the chain conveyor of the back plate move with an
appropriate speed, assuring proper arrangement of rod shaped elements in
the store. This situation last until the return of the slide to the
starting point corresponding to the minimum store capacity for retaining
mass flow. Then the rotating lever starts rotation towards the
preliminary chamber of the store, removing the rod shaped elements from
it, then continues rotation until reaching the top vertical position in
the area of the end of the upper conveyor, after which the upper and
lower conveyors of the plates of the store, the inner conveyor of the
slide, and the chain conveyor of the back plate are stopped. The slide
moves further in the direction of the flow of the rod shaped elements in
the receiving channel, while the rotating lever remains in the top
vertical position and removes other rod shaped elements through the
outlet of the store, with the angular conveyor and the output conveyors
of the receiving channel being active.

[0003] The object of the invention is the structure of the store-transport
device for elongated rod shaped elements, disposed in a transfer line for
elements from a delivery device to a receiving device, having a plurality
of substantially horizontal, vertical and arched conveyors, and having a
variable capacity store formed with the aid of the said conveyors on two
neighboring levels, having one inlet and one outlet, formed by two
parallel conveyors, closed with a joint back plate which is coupled with
a slide separating the store levels, equipped with a separating conveyor,
so that they together perform reciprocating movements parallel to the
horizontal conveyors, and its concave surface, on the store side, is
constituted by a chain conveyor equipped with transverse humps, and a
fullness sensor is placed near the outlet. In the said device, according
to the invention, an upper input conveyor has at the end an arched part
pointing upwards, and a lower output conveyor has at the beginning an
arched part pointing downwards, so that the two conveyors approach each
other with the arched parts, but between the arched part of the upper
input conveyor and the arched part of the lower output conveyor there is
an in-between swing element. The horizontal separating conveyor situated
on the moving slide is slipped between the arched part of the upper input
conveyor and the arched part of the lower output conveyor, after
deflecting the in-between swing element. Alternatively, the in-between
swing element may consist of a lower in-between swing element mounted at
the end of the arched part of the upper input conveyor, and of an upper
in-between swing element mounted at the beginning of the arched part of
the lower output conveyor, but preferably the lower in-between swing
element and the upper in-between swing element may have the form of a
lower in-between conveyor and an upper in-between conveyor, respectively,
the lower in-between conveyor being driven by the upper input conveyor,
while the upper in-between conveyor being driven by the lower output
conveyor. The horizontal separating conveyor is slipped between the lower
in-between swing element and the upper in-between swing element, after
drawing them apart, with the lower in-between swing element is deflected
downwards when slipping the separating conveyor in and the upper
in-between swing element deflected upwards when slipping the separating
conveyor in. Prior to slipping in the slide with the separating conveyor,
the in-between swing swing element or the in-between lower and upper
swing element constitute the front plate for the rod shaped elements
displaced from the input channel to the output channel. The distance
between the axis of a return roller of the separating conveyor and a back
plate of the store is constant and equal to the radius of the back plate,
while for a minimum capacity of the store, the back plate is located at a
distance from the front plate corresponding to the width of the input
channel and the output channel. Furthermore, the individual moving
sub-assemblies or groups of moving sub-assemblies are independently
driven by separate motors. The device as in the invention is
characterized by simple structure, particularly in relation to
state-of-the-art store-transport device while retaining many advantages
of this unit.

[0004] The object of the invention has been shown in an example of
execution in a drawing, in which FIG. 1 presents diagrammatically the
store-transport device situated in the line of displacement of rod shaped
elements from a delivery device (not shown) to a receiving device (not
shown) in side view at minimum store capacity, using a single-part
in-between swing element, FIG. 2--the device from FIG. 1 with a maximum
store capacity, FIG. 3--the device from FIG. 2 in a perspective view,
FIG. 4--the store-transport device in a perspective view using a
double-part in-between swing element at minimum store capacity, FIG.
5--the device as in FIG. 4 with a maximum store capacity, FIG. 6--the
store-transport device in a perspective view z using a double-part
in-between swing element in the form of in-between conveyors at a minimum
store capacity, a FIG. 7--the device as in FIG. 6 with a maximum store
capacity.

[0005] A store-transport device shown on FIG. 1 has an input channel 1
co-operating with a delivering device, and an output channel 2
co-operating with a device receiving rod shaped elements. Between the
channels 1 and 2, the width of which is essentially the same, there is a
variable capacity store 3. The input channel 1 is formed by a lower input
conveyor 4 and an upper input conveyor 5, while the output channel 2 is
formed by an upper output conveyor 6 and a lower output conveyor 7. The
upper input conveyor 5 has at the end an arched part 8 pointing upwards,
and the lower output conveyor 7 has at the beginning an arched part 9
pointing downwards, so that the two conveyors 8 and 9 approach each other
retaining a distance, with the arched parts 8 and 9 being also conveyors.
Between the arched part 8 of the upper input conveyor 5 and the arched
part 9 of the lower output conveyor 7 there is an in-between swing
element 10 mounted rotationally at the end of the arched part 8 so that
it forms a front plate 11 of the store 3 at its minimum capacity. A back
plate 12, concave on the side of the store 3 is formed by a chain
conveyor 13 equipped with transverse humps 14, with the back plate 12
having at its ends skids 15, which at minimum capacity of the store 3
co-operate with the lower input conveyor 4 and the upper output conveyor
6, respectively. The back plate 12 is coupled with a slide 16 equipped
with a horizontal separating conveyor 17 so that they jointly effect the
to and fro motion, whereas the distance between the axis of a return
roller 18 of the separating conveyor 17 and the back plate 12 of the
store 3 is constant and equal to the radius r of the back plate 12, and
at the minimum capacity of the store 3 the back plate 12 is located at
the distance w from the front plate 11, corresponding to the width of the
input channel 1 and the output channel 2. FIG. 2 presents the variable
capacity store 3 at the maximum capacity, with its lower plate formed by
a lower conveyor 19 being an extension of the lower input conveyor 4, and
the upper plate formed by an upper conveyor 20, and between the upper
conveyor 20 and the upper output conveyor 6 a fullness sensor 21 of the
store 3 is located. The slide 16, situated in the horizontal axis of the
device, is slipped with the separating conveyor 17 between the ends of
the arched parts 8 and 9 after deflecting the in-between swing element
10, and the width w' of the throat 22, through which the stack of rod
shaped elements flows from the lower level to the upper level of the
store 3 corresponds to the smallest distance between the separating
conveyor 17 and the chain conveyor 13 of the back plate 12. FIG. 4 and
FIG. 5 present an embodiment of the device, in which the in-between swing
element 10 was applied, consisting of a lower in-between swing element
101, swinging downwards, mounted rotationally at the end of the arched
part 8 of the upper input conveyor 5 and an upper in-between swing
element 102, swinging upwards, mounted rotationally at the beginning of
the arched part 9 of the lower output conveyor 7, whereas the slide 16
with the separating conveyor 17 is slipped between the deflected ends of
the in-between lower swing element 101 and the in-between upper swing
element 102. FIGS. 6 and 7 present another version of the device, in
which the in-between lower swing element 101 in the form of a lower
in-between conveyor 101' and the in-between upper swing element 102 in
the form of an or the upper in-between conveyor 102' were applied,
whereas the lower in-between conveyor 101' is driven by the upper input
conveyor 5 through the arched part 8, and the upper in-between conveyor
102' is driven by the lower output conveyor 7 through the arched part 9.
The individual moving sub-assemblies or groups of moving sub-assemblies
are independently driven by separate motors not shown in the drawing.

[0006] The operation of the store-transport device is, as follows. Prior
to filling of the store 3 the slide 16 with the separating conveyor 17 is
withdrawn to its terminal position, so that the distance w between the
back plate 12 and the front plate 11, formed by the in-between swing
element 10 aligned with both arched parts 8 and 9 or the in-between lower
swing element 101 and the in-between upper swing element 102 or the lower
in-between conveyor 101' and the upper in-between conveyor 102', is
constant for the whole store 3 and equal to the width of the input
channel 1 and the output channel 2. After activation of the delivering
device, the front face of the mass flow of rod shaped elements, preceded
by a cleaning element, enters the vertical part of the input channel 1,
and then moves to its horizontal part, next it travels along the arch
between the back plate 2 using the skid 15 and the arched part 8, and
then the front plate 11. After crossing the lower level of the store 3 in
the same manner the mass flow fills the upper level of the store 3 and
reaches the output channel 2, and further on, the receiving device.
During normal operation of the store 3 with equal throughput of the
delivering device and the receiving device, the slide 16 does not change
position, and in case of different throughputs of the said devices, the
slide 16 changes its position, moving towards the front plate 11, which
increases the capacity of the store 3. After the return roller 18 of the
separating conveyor 17 reaches the front plate 11, the throat 22 of
constant width w' is created between the lower and upper levels of the
store 3 through which the rod shaped elements enter the upper level of
the store 3. In case of need of further increase of the capacity of the
store 3 the slide 16 with the separating conveyor 17 is slipped between
the arched parts 8 and 9 after deflecting the in-between swing element 10
either between the in-between lower swing element 101 or the lower
in-between conveyor 101' and the in-between upper swing element 102 or
the upper in-between conveyor 102' after moving them apart. Displacement
of mass flow of rod shaped elements is provided by the conveyors 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 13, 17, 19, 20 and alternatively 101' and 102', and facilitated
by the skids 15 and the humps 14. When there is a need to reduce the
capacity of the store 3 the slide 16 moves towards the position
corresponding to the minimum capacity, and when there is a need to
increase the capacity, it moves in the opposite direction, whereas the
level of filling of the upper level of the store 3 is signaled by a
fullness sensor 21. During emptying of the store 3, with the delivering
device switched off, the slide 16 is displaced, until it reaches the
position corresponding to the minimum capacity. Then the cleaning element
is placed in the channel 1 and conveyors 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13 and
alternatively 101' and 102' are activated, and all the rod shaped
elements remaining in the store 3 are removed through the output channel
2, with the cleaning element following the rod shaped elements, assuring
that all the rod shaped elements are removed from the input channel 1,
the store 3 and the output channel 2.